A SMALL mining exhibition held last week at Keetmanshoop has been a milestone for semi-precious gemstone miners in Karas who had an opportunity to network with Finnish stakeholders in the sector.
Speaking at the one-day show, Development Director Timo Palander, who represented the visiting Finnish delegation, said local small miners lacked skills although the South was rich in semi-precious stones. He said local small miners were not reaping the full benefit of the semi-precious gems because raw materials were being exported to Europe. Palander said the partnership agreement between Finnish stakeholders and local small miners, which is part of a joint partnership programme of the Keetmanshoop Municipality and the Federation of the Finnish partnership, was aimed building skills capacity in the local industry. ‘The keywords should be innovation and co-operation,’ Palander urged local small miners. In her message, Keetmanshoop Urban regional councillor Hilma Nikanor echoed sentiments that the mineral resources in the region were not fully exploited because lack of skills. ‘Consequently this state of affairs necessitates establishment of a platform for assistance for small-scale miners to build capacity and create local and international markets for their goods for us to go a long way in realising beneficiation of rural economies in the sector,’ said Nikanor.
